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Rifle Scopes Gas gun comp optic choice

BoulderE89

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Jul 26, 2019
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St. George, UT
I have been upgrading my 223 AR to be good enough to compete in a gas gun competition sometime in the next year. Next on my list is a decent competition optic. I currently have a decent bushnell nitro 2.5-10x scope I got for dirt cheap that has done its job but isn’t anything special. In the less than 1K category, what are my best choices? What’s a good mag range for these gas gun comps? I’ve only ever done bolt action competitions. Ones that I currently think are good options are vortex pstII 3-15 and Athlon ares 2.5-15. If money wasn’t an option I would go for Leupold mk5 3-18 but that’s out of my budget. All thoughts, comments and opinions are welcome as the gas gun scene is new for me.
 
What gas gun competitions will you be shooing?

If its a time based competition, I would recommend something usable at lower powers for quicker target transitions.
 
The same as prs/nrl style, time based. I wasn’t aware there was another type. Can you define lower end? Like is 10x enough or will I need 15 or 18 power?
 
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In the less than 1k category, I really like the Bushnell LRHS/LRTS. For competition, I would lean towards the 4.5-18 version. Cameraland just had some on a crazy sale for $700.
 
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In the less than 1k category, I really like the Bushnell LRHS/LRTS. For competition, I would lean towards the 4.5-18 version. Cameraland just had some on a crazy sale for $700.

I agree, this is exactly what I was going to suggest, but you beat me to it. I have the 3-12x44 and it is a great scope for the money.
 
As for the power range, I rarely use more than 18x. Typically I'm somewhere around 10-15x on a stage. The only time I zoom more than that is either on a KYL rack in prone or shooting paper at 100. I really like the PST gen 2 line. It's like a cheap Razor. The eyebox is workable, the clarity is amazing, the turrets are great, and the EBR-7C is fantastic.

I'm also excited to see what the new strike eagle brings to the table. The 34mm tube intrigues me.
 
As for the power range, I rarely use more than 18x. Typically I'm somewhere around 10-15x on a stage. The only time I zoom more than that is either on a KYL rack in prone or shooting paper at 100. I really like the PST gen 2 line. It's like a cheap Razor. The eyebox is workable, the clarity is amazing, the turrets are great, and the EBR-7C is fantastic.
Ya I shoot my bolt with a razor and am planning to get the strike eagle for my 22 rifle. So if I could get the ebr-7c reticle on my ar then I would not only be a massive vortex fan boy, but all my rifles I compete with would share the same reticle, which I think would be a plus.
 
Ya I shoot my bolt with a razor and am planning to get the strike eagle for my 22 rifle. So if I could get the ebr-7c reticle on my ar then I would not only be a massive vortex fan boy, but all my rifles I compete with would share the same reticle, which I think would be a plus.
That was part of my math when I went with the Tremor 3 in my Razor. I could have multiple optics with the same reticle but not be limited to vortex.
 
In the less than 1k category, I really like the Bushnell LRHS/LRTS. For competition, I would lean towards the 4.5-18 version. Cameraland just had some on a crazy sale for $700.

I also think this is the way to go..

I think it's great that you are breaking into the sport with what you have, if you're committed to the AR15 platform at this point, keep an eye out for a good deal on a Grendel or Valkyrie upper. It would be a little more compatible with the shooting requirements..
 
We have a hybrid match that is a mix of PRS Gas Gun and 3 Gun here in AZ. I use a Nightforce NX8 2.5-20 and love the zoom range. Typical target distance is 200-700 yards.